The High Court in Bangladesh has urged the government to ban cigarette advertising and introduce a new law to discourage smoking.

It made the recommendation, which is not binding on the government, after confirming an earlier decision that the British American Tobacco company, BAT, should stop promoting cigarettes because the constitution safeguards public health.

BAT is one of the world's largest cigarette manufacturers and one of Bangladesh's biggest tax payers. The BBC Dhaka correspondent says health campaigners believe that as the number of smokers dwindles in the West, where there have been landmark compensation awards for smoking-related deaths, tobacco companies are increasingly targeting developing nations.